Functional electrical stimulation to the abdominal wall muscles synchronized with the expiratory flow does not induce muscle fatigue.
Yukako Okuno, Ryoichi Takahashi, Yoko Sewa and 3 others
PMID 28356636WHAT IT FOUND
In nine healthy adults, 15 minutes of expiratory-synchronized abdominal electrical stimulation did not change abdominal muscle fatigue measures; peak expiratory flow fell but stabilized.
Key findings
01A 15-minute session of expiratory-synchronized abdominal electrical stimulation did not change the declining rates of abdominal muscle torque or EMG mean power frequency.
02Peak expiratory flow decreased after the first minute but remained at the same level after 10 minutes.
03Mean expiratory flow did not significantly decrease after the first minute.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only nine healthy young adults were tested, not people with cervical cord injury or impaired cough. The study was a small before-and-after experiment, not a randomized trial. Fatigue was assessed only before and after one 15-minute session, not over repeated treatment. Peak expiratory flow decreased during stimulation, although the fatigue indicators did not change.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the unchanged fatigue measures as proof that abdominal electrical stimulation is fatigue-free in patients with cervical cord injury. It tested nine healthy adults for one 15-minute session.